This giveaway is now over.
In honor of the upcoming March 26th release of Noah Baumbach’s latest film, “Greenberg,” Film Threat will be giving away one free iPod Shuffle as well as three “Greenberg” sampler soundtracks, which include new music from LCD Soundsystem’s own James Murphy.
So how do you win? Simple. In the comments below, choose one Ben Stiller character from his extensive film history and let us know how that character made an impact on you for better or worse. The most compelling argument for/against a Stiller character will win a free iPod Shuffle, and the next three best arguments will win the sampler soundtracks. The sampler soundtracks include the following James Murphy tracks:
- If You Need a Friend
- Photographs
- Gente
- People
- Please Don’t Follow Me
- Birthday Song
To ensure that you can actually win, make sure you comment and register with your valid email address, and only one comment per email or ip address (we’ll know if you’re cheating). This giveaway is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.) Winners will be notified by email after “Greenberg’s” theatrical release on March 26, 2010.
From the official “Greenberg” PR synopsis:
“Greenberg (Ben Stiller) is at a crossroads in his life. Out of a job and none too interested in finding one, he agrees to housesit for his younger and more successful brother, thereby getting a free place to stay in Los Angeles. Once settled in, Greenberg sets out to reconnect with his old friend and former bandmate Ivan (Rhys Ifans). But times have changed, and old friends aren’t necessarily still best friends, so Greenberg finds himself spending more and more time instead with his brother’s personal assistant Florence (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring singer and herself something of a lost soul. As their relationship develops through a series of embarrassingly awkward romantic encounters, even someone as irascible as Greenberg might have at last found a reason to be happy
Starring: Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Messina, and more.
Screenplay By: Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan
Music By: James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem)
Produced By: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Rubin & Lila Yacoub”
This is difficult because I have admired Ben Stiller’s performances for a long time, and I do believe he is one of the best contemporary comedic actors. Looking at all the comments above I have to agree with everyone, but what is sticking out to me now is his performance in Something About Mary. When I went to go see the film I was hung up on a breakup and the frank, hilarious and sometimes harsh reality that his character goes through display his full range as an actor. When he cried like a baby towards the end when he thought he lost love altogether I wailed with him. It was as much an end to the dream and idea of Mary and the relationship that stung him so.
Of course he ends up with her in the end and he superbly plays the gratified and deserving lover with aplomb. And yes again, he makes it look like so much fun!
i really enjoyed his movie the cable guy i think he did a wonderful job and that it probably has a lot more fans now then before. hilarious film if you have not seen it
Eddie Cantrow is my favorite stiller character his character taught me that marriage is not every thing and that it is ok to keep looking for the special some one well out of your 20s.
His role in Night at the Museum made my girlfriend want to have kids, we were 19 at the time. I’m not sure if that’s negative or not.
Ben Stiller’s finest acting performance by far is his role as Chas Tenenbaum in Wes Anderson’s “Royal Tenenbaums”. He starts off as the angry son of a father who robbed him; part of a family he doesn’t seem to connect with. He is widowed and it has taken a toll on his two sons, who he tries to protect from the smallest incidents, blocking them from any sort of normal childhood. He is almost annoying the entire run of the film… but Stiller takes it up a notch towards the very end of the film, when he delivers the most emotionally captivating line of the film – “It’s been a rough year, dad.” Once he delivers it, you can see his character change right before your eyes, in a matter of seconds. Those are the finest seconds in Ben Stiller’s career and a scene that makes my eyes water every time I see still.
Stiller’s performance as Gaylord “Greg” Focker tapped into my deep-seated insecurities of not fitting in anywhere, of being an outsider even among those people who I feel close to and love. Through Focker, he channels levels of bottled up anxieties which I bury under my foot everyday. He embodies the struggle of being accepted versus being who you really are. Stiller’s performance of the awe shucks, everyman in the face of hostility makes him instantly identifiable. This really hits home when, at the end of the movie, both Focker and Jack Byrnes (DeNiro), show that more often than not you are your own worst enemy.
Whenever I am photographing guys, they never want to pose.
Too girly! But, as soon as I say, “Fine, but can’t you at least give me your best “Blue Steel” look” all heck breaks out.
Suddenly, everyone is Derek Zoolander!
They loosen up and I get my relaxed shots.
And for that, I will always be grateful to Ben Stiller for making my life easier.
Clearly Dodgeball was his crowning achievement and has served as a useful How-To manual for my Swedish Pump.
Ben Stiller’s role in Mystery Men as Furious was one of the main reasons I decided to get into film making. Now I’m not saying that this is his best role, or even that great of one in general, but his role in this movie made me realize just how much damn fun making movies can be. Say what you want about the movie itself, but it can’t be denied how much fun the cast and crew must have had making this film. Now, since I have realized that not only is it a lot of fun to make movies but it is also very difficult. Lots of hard work. So I appreciate this movie above any of his other roles if only for this reason.
The character he played that was the most influential on my life was Ruben Feffer in “Along Came Polly.” That character showed me the true face of the world we live in. Even when things feel like they’re at their best (like on your honeymoon) they can easily take a turn for the worse (his wife on the boat with Claude). It also tought me that even if things don’t always work out well, it’s always a good idea to try new things, because you never know what may happen if you do (ending up with Polly, someone who makes him happy, unlike his ex-wife really did).
I can’t turn left. I don’t know why. I will be walking and I will have to get around somebody and I will think to myself turn left but my body always turns right and either getting in the way or hitting the person with my body. The other person must think I an an a*s or an idiot. I thought I was the only one until I saw zoolander. I did not feel alone in my own private hell.
Michael from Reality Bites. For the first time, I understood the “bad guy” point of view. We were directed to feel for Lelania and Troy but they were slacker losers who didn’t want to accept reality. Michael wasn’t necceasrily bad. He just knew how the world worked. And when Lelania walked out on him, she didn’t even try talking to explain how it wasn’t what she wanted.